Category: Ulta

As I was reading this opinion piece regarding racial profiling I looked below at the comment section and got a huge headache. Well, because the spirit of what is wrong with Oak Park, IL just shined on through not like a piercing light but like a nuclear bomb on the ignorance that Oak Park, IL is so entrenched here. My signature eyebrow went up like “wtf?” and I had to post a retort that as of writing this Oakpark.com did not post.

That is alright they can to censor exercises in freedom of speech as much as they want, Oak Park, Il is no longer the gem of the suburbs as it once was and it is due to comments like the one I will mention. This type of comment makes you scratch your head and think “what are they getting at..” but man you already know it is that unspoken confirmation of a fact that you know in your heart is true, and providence has shined a light down from the heavens to confirm its existence.

No, I do not mean the comment about “You’re right. It’s hard to know where to begin..” now there might have been a rash of robberies in the area of Ulta and the person mentioned could be of the same color, therefore everyone in the area is suspicious or on high alert. Does that make it right? No, but I can see why the commentator states what was the cause to this effect. Meaning, what is spring this event, is it because yes all the players are inherently racist and need to be welcomed into the 21st century of social justice and equality or the comment eludes to a narrative of “how do we fix this situation?” When I read this comment I can get with that, kudos to the author of that comment, let us have a positive discussion regarding this social injustice.

However, it is the other comment which drips with the attitude that does not make reading this opinion piece easy: “do you think it’s possible they had a history with this guy that had nothing to do with his race?” Really??? This type of comment makes me wonder how do you get to people who do not understand that this type of mindset is wrong. This is the type of mindset that is everywhere here in Oak Park, IL a type of unspoken community hoping back for the good old 1950’s where every street was as big as your hand, people fell in line with the community’s edicts, and especially fell in line with their “role” in the caste system existing here, presently.

A history? If there was a history with the gentleman being racially profiled in the event, he would be in the squad car, not out in the open, being asked questions by law enforcement. This implication means that he must “have done something wrong” in the past and that is why they are treating him this way now, this is the basis for racial profiling. America is the place where, yeah we gossip like hell on the blogs and rest of the internet about someone (i.e.: cyberbullying) but you are always, always innocent until proven guilty.

This commenter forgot that fact, I cannot speak on this author’s experience with this type of issue, but I bet they have “black friends” as a way to excuse this lapse of self-exposure, how they REALLY think. Unfortunately, it is how a lot of the people in Oak Park, Il think and have gotten away with it for so long, it is really a shame but this type of behavior is why no one wants to be here and the repetition of Oak Park, IL has taken a hit.

It is probably the reason they are asking the residents about diversity -who cares?? Especially if like in this case what is said is here is how the residents really feel, which is in direct contrast of Oak Park, Il’s message of inclusiveness, the message falls upon deaf ears, because no one wants to stay someone where they cannot park their car on a public street, nor get treated equally like their neighbors.

I truly wonder if this commentator has any children that this has happened to, were they followed around a store, where they stopped by police and asked multiple questions regarding their purpose in the area? I wonder if they would change their tune then or would they still state that “you must have a history with him” or “he must have done something wrong” and yes there are parents who say that! But I just wonder if the author f that comment really put themselves in someone else’s shoes would that comment exist, or are they so closed off from this ever changing world they do not see the problem with such a statement?